Thursday, November 8, 2012

Here we go again...

I had a moment of weakness this week and was sucked backed in to "going on the market" for a role that I don't think I have a snowflake's chance in hell of getting.

WHY????

I am such a fool.

I spent an afternoon writing it; an evening tweaking it, collecting referees and paperwork; and an early morning before work frantically compiling my documentation and triple-checking everything before submitting it.

And let's not forget all those hours I have spent fantasizing about my new academic life.

<insert sound of my slapping my own forehead>

Here begins another 6 weeks of wondering if I will get the job and tossing and turning at night.

I must learn to remind myself every single day that I have a job. I do not need another one.

5 comments:

You're not a fool! I just think that you are still struggling with the fact that this job you do have isn't as interesting/stimulating/a good fit as you'd hoped (or maybe I'm projecting here? ;) ). I often think about applying for academic jobs again, because, bottom line, if it was sustainable and achievable I'd rather be teaching and doing scholarship than anything else.

If you still like the work and wish you could still be doing it, there's no shame in applying for the occasional academic job. The difference is that *you have taken control of your life* by finding a job outside of academia that pays the bills. You're choosing where to try to reenter academia ... you're not letting it be in charge by being unemployed and forced to take any crappy temporary job that's thrown your way.

I don't think it's a bad idea at all for Type 2 leavers to occasionally apply to academic jobs. I'm pretty sure I've said that over at my own blog from time to time. Just take charge of your life and find a job outside of academia in the meantime (like you did!) so that you can be picky about what academic jobs you would take and you don't have to settle for absolutely any crappy position you can find. Makes total sense to me!

Thanks folks for the votes of confidence. It did kind of fall into the "what have I got to lose category?" - I wouldn't have to move, I would have an even shorter commute, my pay would be significantly higher, the benefits are the best in the country, and I would at least have some variety and autonomy around my work load. No news this week. Maybe next.

About Me

I am a former (?) academic who is wondering what next to do in my life. After spending a lot of time reading other people's blogs about making the transition out of academia, I thought I should write my own blog.